Improvement in paper-folding machines



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" VWnesses lN.PE`I`ERS. PHOTO-LITHDG .APH ASHINGT N D C UNITED STATESPATENT QFFIGE;

STEPHEN D. TUCKER, on ,NEW'YOEL n. Y.`

,y 'IMPRovEMl-:NT `IN PAPER-FOLDING MACHINES.`

` Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. y[86,386, dated Jannary 16, 1877; application liled April 2o, 1876.

To all `whom it `'maycomer/n:

Beit known that l, STEPHEN D. TUCKER, of the city, county, and State ofNew York,

have invented certain new and useful In1` provements inPartially-Rotatin g Folding-Ma chines, of which the following, inconnection.`

with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description lFigure lis a right-hand side view; Fig. 2, i a vertical section, lookingfrom the left-hand side; Fig. 3, a front-end view; Fig. 4, a Vtop view;Fig. 5, a view of detached parts,and Figs. 6 and 7 modified arrangements`of the folding devices.

My invention relates to that class of fabricfolding machines fullydescribed in a company ion application, in which the folding-bladeis soactuated as to describe cycloidal curves on enteringand leaving thefolding-rollers in the `operation'of `folding the sheet. Itcon'sists ini improvements in the mechanism accomplish-` particularly and 13,revolve in unison.` The power is applied to the former, as is indicated,by the crank 14, hung fast upon its shaft. The folding-blade 2 `is hungto a shaft, 3, by means of short arms whose collars are fast thereon.This shaft 3 is journaled in the ends of two or more arms,20, whicharefast upon "a shaft, 17, journaledin the frame-work. These arms 20constitute the` folding-blade carrier, and they are tied `together by abrace baror rod, 21, which is extended to connect witha lever, 22,outside of the frame-work, which lever is also fast upon the shaft l17The arms20 are thus moved in concert with the lever 22, which isvibrated by means of a crank-pin, 16, fixed tothe periphery ofthetoothed wheel 15, and

,moving in a,slot,4, in the lever 22. This toothed Wheel 15 derives itsrotation `from the toothed Wheel 12, and during each revolution causesthe lever 22 and folding-blade carrier to vibrate forward "and back..`The foldingblade shaft carries, fixed to it at one end, a

toothed wheel, 23, which meshes into the teeth of a segment, 24, fixedinside of the framework, and itis thereby caused to partially rotate thefolding-blade during its travel forward and back in the toothed segment,when it is thus moved by the vibrating foldingblade carrier. The resultof this motion` is that the folding-blade iscaused `to travel in thatpathknown as a hypocycloidalcurve, in which pathof travel it is carriedinto the space between the folding-rollers 10 and l1, andA out at theopposite side, when its carrier `is vibrated in one direction, andrepeats the motion whenyits carrier is vibrated in the oppositedirection. l

The sheets of paper are fed in succession to the rollers 44 and 25either by hand or by means of au Aautomatic apparatus, or from aprinting-press, as wlllbe hereinafter pointed `out. They are directed toa proper position over the "folding-rollers by means of endless tapes,one set, 38, of which are stretched from the roller `44 to roller 27,another, 40, from the rollers 25 around the folding-roller 11, and athird, 39, from the roller 28 around the folding-roller 10. They move inthe directions indicated by the `arrows in Fig.\2, and the feed of thesheet is timed so that it is carried toa proper position overthefolding-rollers to present the point ofthe desired fold to the action ofthe folding-blade, when said blade is carried in between thefolding-rollers, as in Fig. 5, which represents it in'that position, theresult of which is that the sheet isdoubled into thebite of saidrollers, and is by them delivered out of the machine by means of tapesor rods, in aonce-folded condition.

In the present case I have shown two sets (of tapes, 36 and 37,stretched, respectively,

from rollers 30 around roller 29, and from rollers 31 around rollers 26,which tapes, co-operating with the switch 32, whose curved points aresuccessively shunted within the cut-away peripheries of thefolding-rollers 11 and 10, direct the sheets alternately betweenthetapes 39 'and 36, and between the tapes 40 and 37. The once-foldedsheets may be delivered from these tapes, or by any other conductors, toother folding mechanisms, as set forth in Patent No. 171,196 to meDecember 14, 1875. In

'the present instance the switch 32 is, on arms 33, fast to a shaft, 41,rocked by a crank-arm, 34, which is vibrated bya rod, 6, reciprocated bya cam on the shaft of the toothed wheel 15.

This machine may be single or double actingthat is, sheets may besuccessively fed to it through the rollers 44 and 25,'so that thefolding-blade may double a sheet between the folding-rollers during thevibrations of its carrier in one or both directions.

When operating as asingle-acting mechanism the sheets will be so fedthat the foldingblade will act upon a sheet while traveling in the sainedirection as the sheet runs into the machine, and at the point offolding the said -foldingblade will move at a speed equal to that of thesheet, so that there will be no stoppage ofthe sheet, and hence noaccumulation of paper behind the folding-blade.

When arranged to be double acting thesheets Will be fed into themachine, so that each time the folding-blade enters the folding-rollersa sheet will be in proper position to be folded between them. And as thefolding-blade, when carried backward, moves in a direction contrary tothat in which the sheet in moving, the said folding-blade must be madeto travel at a higher speed than the sheet in order that when foldingthe same it will not retard the movement of the sheet into the machineand cause its accumulation. This variable movement ofthe folding-bladecarrier is accomplished by the constantly-changing positions of thecrank-pin in the slot of the lever 22, whereby the leverage is changed,as is Well understood.

As a sheet enters the machine its leading end is carried over the spacebetween the folding-rollers by means of a blast of air, as is describedin the aforesaid patent granted to me December 14, 1875. The blastpipeis shown at 35, and may be supplied intermittingly or constantly withair under pressure. The sheets may also be directed by guide-rodsreciprocated into proper position and out of interference with thefolding-blade, as is described in a companion application filed of evendate herewith.

The folding-rollers are shown, Fig. 4, as made up of separate pulleys;but they may be continuous Vcylinders or drums. The rollers 44, 25, 26,27, 28, and 29 may be continuous or sepa-rate pulleys on a shaft. Theserollers or pulleys are driven by gears 7, 8,'9, 18, and 19, as in Figs.l and 2, and they, as well as the folding-rollers, may be roughened bydraw-filing or be nely uted to more perfectly seize the sheets of paper.

As herein illustrated, the folding-blade is cut away, as at 45, to admitits passing by the tapes 8. This construction may be avoidg ed by anymeans of feeding the sheet to the folding rollers which does not formv apermanent bridge over these rollers-such as the guide-arms alreadydescribed.

The machine may be worked with its folding-rollers arranged one abovethe other.

The folding blade will then enter them from the side, instead of fromabove or below. The sheets can then be carried past, and will descendbeyond the rollers by their gravity, thus allowing the tapes 38 to bedispensed with, or at least to be carried only part way toward thefolding'rollers. The foldingblade may then be made continuous.

In Fig. 6 the folding-blade carrier is made to reciprocate in rightlines, a crank motion, as at 50, producing such movement, and a rack,5], taking the place of the toothed segment. The motion of thefolding-blade produced by this arrangement of the device is that of acycloidal curve.

In Fig. 7 the devices are essentially the same as is shown in theprincipal figures but the folding-blade carrier is vibrated on a centerplaced below the plane occupied by the folding-rollers. The motionimparted to the folding-blade in this arrangement is that of anepicycloidal curve.

This mechanism is adapted to be worked as an independent machine; or itmay be connected with an ordinary printing-press. It' connected with aweb-perfecting printingpress it will perform a part of a continuousoperation, whereby a web of paper is printed upon both of its surfaces,and cut into sheets, which sheets are folded one or more times, anddelivered out of the machine. Motion may then be communicated to thefolding-rollers bya train of gears meshing into the toothed wheel 12, orinto the toothed wheel 15, if it be used, and a crank may give motion tothe lever 22 from any suitable shaft of the printing-press.

Instead of a crank a cam properly shaped, or any equivalent device, maybe used to give the vibrating motion to the folding-blade carrier. t

Having thus set forth the nature and operation of my improvement, what Iclaim. 1s

1. A folding-blade moved to and fro over the folding devices, andpartially rotated by a rack and wheel to operate therewith,substantially as described.

2. A partially-rotating folding-blade, the rotating movement of which isimparted by a rack and wheel, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a folding-blade carrier having a to-and-fromovement, al partially-rotating foldingblade, toothed wheel and rack,substantially as described.

4. The combination of a folding-blade carrier having a to-and-fromovement, a partially-rotating folding-blade, toothed wheel, rack, andsheet-feeding devices, substantially as described. A

5. The combination of a folding-blade carrier having a to-and-fromovement, a partially rotating folding blade, toothed wheel, rack, andfolding-rollers, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a folding-blade cari 8. The combination of afolding-blade carrier having a to-and-fro movement, toothed Wheel 23,and segment-rack with external teeth 24.-, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

STEPHEN D. TUCKER.

Witnesses: l

CEAS. W. CARPENTER, CHAELEs VERNON PAGE.

